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Saturday, November 08, 2014

Will Windows 10 Spur PC Sales? PC Makers Sure Hope So

It is no secret that PC sales have slumped over the years and we are sitting in the middle of what many are calling the 'Post PC Era'. With more and more consumers and businesses opting to spend money on connected devices such as smartphones and tablets and staying away from tradition desktop and laptop options. However, lately we've seen that trend reversing and with the addition of Microsoft's new Windows 10 operating system, PC vendors are hopeful that reversal will become more widespread and sales will return to the positive.

Higher demand for desktop computers in North America and Europe combined with the increasing popularity of lower-priced PC models meant that for the first time in years we saw the huge drop-off in PC sales came to a halt. Gartner reported shipments slightly increased 0.1 percent to 75.8 million units, while IDC found shipments fell 1.7 percent to 74.4 million, the Associated Press reported. Which while not exceptional showed promise as IDC said it had expected as much as a 7.1 percent decline.

These flat-lining numbers left PC manufacturers optimistic that come 2015 PCs will be on the rise again.

Recent commercial demand is improving as businesses face up to the need to migrate from Windows XP. However, we aren't seeing the levels rise along the usual trends as it seems that there's an uncertain future for Windows 8 in the commercial sector.

With the recent release of the Windows 10 preview and its impending release, the big PC makers, including Lenovo, HP and Dell, are resting their hopes in the hands of Microsoft and the company's ability to lure those in the enterprise sector. Hardware makers have spent years waiting for companies to ditch their aging computers and to upgrade. Yet following the release of Windows 8 in 2012, and its total redesign, sales continued to slump as corporate clients seemed unwilling to upgrade to the new operating system with its unfamiliar look and feel.

While new computers are noticeably better, and offer much more bang for the buck these day. There is still little to persuade consumers who are turning to phones and tablets for all their casual computing needs to upgrade from their dated machines. For many businesses that is even more true, with more enterprise level customers opting to extended the life of their slightly older machines in hopes of getting more for their money.

Microsoft hopes that the new 'unified' approach it has taken with Windows 10 will help to offer consumers and businesses alike a reason to finally ditch their aging machines. Couple that with the complete and total end of support for Windows XP and upcoming end of mainstream support for Windows 7, Microsoft and PC vendors may finally have an opening to further the PC sales skid.

What do you think? Will Windows 10 be enough reason for you to upgrade to a newer PC? Or will you opt for simply upgrading your operating system? Perhaps you don't plan to upgrade at all! Let's hear your thoughts with a comment below!